Louis Henry Carpenter was born on February 11, 1839, in Glassboro, New Jersey, to Edward Carpenter and Anna Maria Howey. The family moved to Philadelphia in 1843, and Carpenter attended the Student University of Pennsylvania and then Dickinson College. He dropped out of Dickinson in July 1861 to enlist in the Union army, mustering in as a private in the 6^th United States Cavalry. He took part in the Seven Days’ Battles, the Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the Battle of the Wilderness. He earned a promotion to 1^st lieutenant on September 28, 1864, before accepting a commission as a lieutenant colonel in the 5^th USCT Infantry. Carpenter remained in the United States Army after the war. He took part in the Indian Wars, earning a Medal of Honor in the fall of 1868. He also served as a brigadier general of volunteers during the Spanish-American War. He retired from the army on October 18, 1899, and returned to Philadelphia. He died there on January 21, 1916.

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